pdf downloads

[Michael J]

Hi,

I am putting pdf files-reports, ebooks, etc. on my site for free download.
So far I have 1 report-pdf file on home page. When you click on the link it takes you directly to the report and it's already opened.

I want it to be so that when you click link it gives you option to save file. How do I make this happen and why now when link is clicked is file already open?

Help!
Michael J

[Tom "CloudHand"]

Michael,

The file is not already open, your web browser is opening the file when you click on the link. Most web browsers have the ability to open pdf files. This feature can be controlled by individual settings, meaning that you can turn off that feature and force a download instead of allowing it to automatically open. By default, many web browsers are set up to automatically open pdf files since they common file types, so most of your visitors will be opening the file instead of downloading it.

One way to force a download would be to zip up the pdf file so that it cannot be opened by the web browser.

Another suggestion would be to set the link up to open in a new window so that the visitor is not taken away from your parent page when their browser opens the file.

Tom

[troyzone]

Hi Michael,

As Tom mentioned, the .pdf file opening in your browser is due to your computer's configuration...this won't necessarily happen for everyone who clicks on the links to your .pdf files.

This behaviour is typical of most computers on which the free Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed, and the majority of computers do have this application installed so that .pdf files may be opened. It is often installed automatically in the process of installing other software as well if one does not already have it installed. For reference, it can be downloaded here:

Adobe Acrobat Reader
www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

When Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed, it apparently installs a browser plug-in to handle links with a .pdf file name extension at the end, plus it associates the .pdf file name extension with itself so that when people click on a .pdf file saved on their own computer, it opens in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Tom's suggestion of having the link open up into a new window is a good one, just to ensure that your site is not displaced by the contents of the .pdf file when a visitor clicks on your .pdf links. People can also right-click and choose to "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..." so that they can save the file to their computer, rather than viewing it immediately in their web browser. Sometimes webmasters make a note on their page to this effect instructing their visitors to right-click to save the files to their own computers.

As Tom also mentioned, you could .zip, .rar, or otherwise store the .pdf file inside a compressed file with a different file name and extension that won't automatically be opened by browsers, but of course this requires the visitor to have a bit more computer knowledge to open it and to have additional software installed that is capable of uncompressing such files.

However, this is not a big deal either, as most computers also have such utilities installed as a matter of course just like Adobe Acrobat Reader, and in fact, newer versions of Windows such as XP contain built-in support for opening .zip files without having any additional software installed.

For reference, here are the links to some commonly used compression software solutions:

WinZip
www.winzip.com

WinRAR
www.rarlab.com

7-Zip
www.7-zip.org

Troy